BOX OFFICE: A VICTIM OF IRENE

With Hurricane — now Tropical Storm — Irene shutting down around 1,000 theaters on the East Coast and many moviegoers steering clear of the theaters that remained open, the box office tumbled to its lowest point of the year. Analysts estimated that revenue was down nearly 25 percent from the same weekend a year ago. Surprisingly, The Help kept a solid hold on first place with an estimated $14.3 million to bring its three-week total to $96.6 million. Three new films, however, disappointed. Colombiana was the only film that managed to crack double digits — just — as it opened with about $10.3 million. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark took in $8.7 million, while Our Idiot Brother flopped with only $6.6 million. Rise of the Planet of the Apes battled with Dark for third place, with Fox estimating an $8.65-million third weekend for the simian thriller.

UPDATE
Final Figures for the Top Five Films
1. The Help, $14,536,118
2. Colombiana, $10,408,176
3. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, $8,867,741
4. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, $8,525,728
5. Our Idiot Brother, $7,011,631